Apparatus for casting stereotype plates without risers



June' 19, 1 928. 1,673,858

. H. A. w. WOOD APPARATUS FOR CASTING STEREOTYPE PLATES wn'nom' RISERS Original Fil g. 4, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheec '1 E? a? '25 Hil June 19, 1928. 1,673,858

H. A. W. WOOD APPARATUS FOR CASTING STEREOTYPE PLATES WITHOUT RISERS Ori Filed Aug. 4 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ,3, war at Patented June 19, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY A. WISE WOOD, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO .WOOD NEWSPAPER MA- CHINE-RY CORPORATION, OF

NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF VIRGINIA. v

APPARATUS FOR CASTING STEREOTYPE PLATES WITHOUT RISERS.

Application filed August 4, 1924, Serial No. 730,017. Renewed November 14, 1927.

This invention relates to a mold and asout of it, so that a curved printing plate shall result which is shorter than the matrix that produces it, notwithstanding that the metal composing said plate'has beenwpoured at one of the straight sides of the mold in which it is cast.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a plan of a small part of a curved stereotype plate mold and hopper for the molten metal showing a preferred form of this invention in its first stage after casting with the parts in a position to cutoff the metal of the riser;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the same on the line 2-2 of'Fig. 1; I

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 1, and

vFig. 1 is a View similar to Fig. 3 showing the final position of the parts when the metal is entirely out off from the mold and the casting is ready to go through its final setting operation before it isremoved from the mold. 7

It is well known that stereotype printing plates are cast with a tail or riser usually.

formed along one edge and necessitating trimming off after the cast is delivered,

This invention is designed to make a plate which is freed from its tailor riser during the casting operatlon and which is? shorter than the matrix from which it was cast.

plunger enters the mold cast plate has pushed back into the metal on supply 'such' unnecessary metal as lies between the plate propenand the gate. This space, or rather the" space ordinarily occupied by that part of the riser adjacent to the plate, and, forces the metal out of that space before the plate congeals. I.

l have shown the invention as applied to a mold having a back 10, only a fragment of which is shown but which ordinarily is of substantially semi-cylindrical shape, and a cylindrical core 11 having two casting faces upon it for use alternately with the back. Those skilled in the art will understand that the cylinder or core 11 may rotate a'half a revolution after each casting operation to deliver the plate and that the back 10 also has a vertical reciprocating motion to free the matrix from the plate before the cylindrical core carrying the plate begins to turn. The back alsozis provided with two opposite matrix clamps 12, only one of which is shown, each having a clip 13 projecting into the moldfor engaging the edge of the matrix 14.. i 1

Instead of pumpingthe metal directly into the mold from an ordinary pump, I prefer to provide means whereby the metal can be fed in by gravity, although this is not essential to this invention. I have shown this means in the form of a hopper 15 adapted to receive molten metal from a pump if desired and to retain it in molten condition. This hopper may be of any desired kind and I will not describe it in detail except that it has an outlet passage 16 under a-wall 17 at its end. This wall 17 has a curvatureabove the passage 16 fitting the cylindrical surface of the core 11 so as to prevent the passage of metal upwardly betweenthe two. The passage 16 is located just ,above the matrix clip 13 and communicates with the edge of the mold cavity so that the metal may flow continuously from the hopper into the mold to fill it.- As the metal congeals in the mold any shrinkage will be compensated for by the molten metal in the hopper having free access to the top ofthe mold. Thus which permit the metal-otthe tail orrise-r to escape baclrinto the 'hopperwhen gate provide a sliding gate 20 in the bottom of the hopper adapted to be projected through the passage 16 to close the same, as indicated in Fig. 4. This gate is connected with anarm 21'on"a'shaft"22, which shaft/is connected'wi'th means forop'erating it at the proper time. The shaft 22. is designed to be operated once for each cast. It will be noted that this gate orvalve 20 moves substantially radially with respect to the core. It: isshown a-shaving aseries of grooves 23 closes.v

If no. other mechanism were provided T1115 construction would. leave atail or short risen on theplateextending' from the bot tom edge of the matrix clip 13, that is, from the bolster: of the matrix-,np to the bottom of the gate 20. This tailwould be as long as the width. of theimatrix: clip plus thethiclenessoixthe:bottom of thehopper l5. Such-a plate would be too longto' put on a printing. ress cylinderia'n'd would have to be machine iaway, whichawould consume time and labor;

For the purpose of eliminating this riser, I have providedia plunger:z24mountedpref erably "in iorion thercore, 11 which is 4 adapted tosmove into position between :the lower ed e of the gate 20 an'dth-e facecot' the matrix' clip 13 so as tofill the spacebetweenithe' The end of this plunger may' be parallel. with and fit the plate proper and the gate.

shape'oftthe wall iformediby the end-of the matrix clip and the edge of the bottom of the pose of operatingtheplunger 24:1 providea longitudinallymowing slide 25 having hopper- It may move parallel. with the. gate QOin-the opposite direction and is intended: toey'ect all metal between the edge/of the plate proper andith'e gate 20.- F or the-purtongue 27 fitting a groove or: other undercut opening 26 formed in the llElCli'SLllfl'ttCQ of the plunger. Thetongue and grooveare cut at.

an angle to the face ofth'e cylinder: 11. This is a=small-anglepasshown iniFig. 1.. The

slide is operated by-an. arm 28 which is' con: nected with-'theshaft QEZ'andalso with the main shaft- 0f the cylinder or core 11? so :that

all these things are timed to operate in a definite relation to each other. This relation is preferably suchthat the-operation tov be described below can take place in the other there set forth.

Itwill be understood that'thehopperv 15v is kept filled up to acertain level witlr molten stereotype m'eta'l and that metal kept in a molten eondition in the hopper by any desired means. The core 11 comes to a stop in the position shown in Fig. 3, the matrix being clamped not only at the end shown, but at the opposite end by a pair of clips similar to 13. At this time the plunger 24 may be in the position shown in.Fig.,3 but the gate 20. is closed. The next. step in the operation is the opening of the gate 20 which permits the metal in hopper 15 to flow into the mold by gravity and to fill it. The gate 20 thereupon assumes the position shown in Fig; 3. Such metalas is requiredtomake good and the shrinkage'of'the plate is now supplied by the hopper to the plate. At this'time the cam used to operate the arm 28 comes into action and begins to force the slide 25 forward. This, through its tongue 27, forces the plunger :24 slowly outwardly in a radial di-- rection. This'plunger passes into the moldv cavity and-slowly moves-across that cavity untilit abuts against the opposite surfaces as shownin Fig. 4. VVhileit is moving it forces out the metal which it displaces. Ii there is anyshrinkagein the plate at that time some of the metal displaced will move down to compensate for that shrinkage. The remainder Wlll IHOVGUP into thehopper and the gateway of the gate 20.. Them'ovement of. this plunger. may be nicely timed to coincide with the rateof cooling of the metal so that the shrinkage. of-the plate may be compensatedfor by: it. In this way the plate'iswholly' freed ofyarise-r or tail. As

the edge ofthe plate may be cutiofl? square at the edge oiithe typesurface it, is leftof the.

shortest possible length. and itspouring end need not be machlned.

After the plunger 24 has separated the- The metal ejected by. the. gate after the gate haspassed the inner edge of 17 flows back into the hopper through the grooves 23.

It should be noted that the plunger 24 may. be operated endwise instead of radially if.

desired,xthat1 is to. say itimay be thrust into the space'between the core 11 or the clip 13 tromone end of that space, andin adirection parallel with the axisof the'core 11.

By'this machine Iain able to cast a printing plate without a riser. I perform theoperation of eliminating. the riser during the operation of castlng and not after the cast- 1ng11s fin1shed.: At the same time I provide metal to supply the deficiency caused by, shrinkage of the plate and leave the platewith a smooth edge locatedjust at the type edge. of the plate. I' do IlOti wish tobe limited to the move mentof the plunger 26 with the gate 20 as they might move simultaneously. or nearly so and, intact, under certain conditions the order of. motion can be' reversed; and,f1n fact, other modifications can be made 111 the operation and construction by any person skilledin the art without departing from the scope of the invention as expressed in the claims. Therefore, I do not wish to be limited in these respects, but what I do claim is l 1. The combination with a mold for a stereotype printing plate having a space at one of its edges through which metal can fill the mold, of a gate for controlling the supply of metal to the mold and means for ejecting the metal that lies between the edge of the plate proper and said gate.

2. The combination with a stereotype plate mold consisting of two parts having a space between them and means communicating with said space for introducing'molten metal thereinto of a movable gate adapted to shut off the supply of metal and means for dis placing the metal from the space lying between the mold cavity proper and the gateway.

3. In a machine for casting stereotype printing plates, the combination with a mold comprising two parts having at one edge a space through which metal can be introduced to fill the space between them, of a gate, a plunger mounted on one of said parts and adapted to be moved toward the opposite part at the edge of the mold cavity, and means for moving said plunger while the metal in the cavity is fluid or plastic to expel the surplus metal from that space.

l. In an apparatus for casting a curved f stereotype printing plate, the comblnatlon with the mold and means for introducing metal into it, of means movable in a radial direction for forcing the metal beyond the desired edge of the plate out of the mold before the metal sets.

5. In an apparatus for casting stereotype printing plates,ithc combination with a concave back and a convex core having a mold space between them for a curved printing plate and provided with a passage for the entrance of molten metal thereto, of a plunger mounted on the convex core and of a width extendingfrom the edge of the printing surface of the plate to be produced to the bottom of the metal supply and movable across said space to entirely fill it and prevent the formation of a riser or slug at that point.

6. In an apparatus for casting molten metal to form a curved stereotype printing plate, the combination with a concave back and a cylindrical core forming a mold space for a plate between them, of means mounted adjacent to the core and back for supplying metal to said space directly, of a gate at the bottom of said metal supply movable radially with respect to the core for opening and closin the supply and controlling the entrance 0 molten metal into the mold, and a plunger carried by the core and movable radially with respect thereto and arranged to .fill the entire space betweenthe gate and the adjacent edge of the cast plate, whereby the movement of the plunger will prevent the formation of the riser on that edge of the plate.

7. In a mold for'cas'ting a curved stereotype printing plate, the combination with a cylindrical core having two casting surfaces and a concave back cooperating therewith, of a container for molten metal for supplying the metal to the mold located in position to deliver metal directly to the mold at one edge, a gate for closing said container to cut oil' the supply of metal to the mold, a plunger movable in a direction parallel to the direction of motion of the gate and adapted to be moved across the space between the printing surface of the plate to be cast and the adjacent surface of said gate, and means for operating said gate and plunger back and forth once during each half revolution of the core.

8. In a mold for casting a curved stereotype printing plate, the combination with a cylindrical core having two casting surfaces and a concave back cooperating therewith,

of a container for molten metal for supply-- ing the metal to the mold located in position to deliver metal directly to the mold at one edge, a gate for closing the bottom of said container to cut off the supply ofmetal to the mold, a plunger located to move in a direction parallel to the motion of the gate and adapted to be moved entirely across the space between the printing surface of the plate to be cast and the adjacent surface of said gate, and means for operating said gate and plunger back and fourth once during each half revolution of the core to first open the gate while the core is in stationary casting position, then advance the plunger through the mold cavity when the plate has been cast but the parts of it adjacent to the plunger'have not become solidi- ,fied and finally close the gate and start the cylinder to rotating for delivering the solid plate.

9. In a mold for casting a curved stereotype printing plate, the combination with a cylindrical core having two casting surfaces and a concave back cooperating therewith, of a container for molten metal for supplying the metal to the mold located in position to deliver metal directly to'the mold at one edge, a gate for closing the bottom of said container to cut off the supply of metal to the mold, a plunger located to move in a direction parallel to the motion of the gate and adapted to be moved entirely across the space between the printing surface of the plate to be cast and the adjacent surface of said gate, and means for operating said gate and plunger back and forth once during each half revolution of the core, the means for operating the plunger comprising a; slide movable IOIIgiUldiHELHy with respect to the corenndhavingan angular connection with tho-plunger; I i

10..Ii1 an apparatus for casting a. curved stereotype printing plate, the combination With a mold, and; means for: introducing molten metal therein,

of movable means for forcing the metalwhile in, a soft'state-beyond'the edgeoftho and out, of the. mold.

plate thatjis to be cast 10 afiixed my signature.

HENRY AMWISE WODD. 

